“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word WAS God.” John 1:1
Jesus is the Word made flesh. He is the beginning and the end because He is God, and nothing in this world, underneath or above, was made without Him, including the things that people have ascribed to themselves as their inventions. Without Him, nothing was made that has not been made.
Jesus’ was coming was to bring in hope to a world lost in darkness. That is why John the Baptist came as a witness to this hope; to introduce the world to the Light and hope of Life in the darkness. This Life that is Christ. That is who Jesus is. Bringing God’s love into a world that was starved of hope and granting some the grace to be called Children of God.
He came to the world which He created in His Splendor and Majesty, but the world did not recognize Him and so rejected Him. However, for those who were granted the grace to believe in Him and accept Him, He brought them the message of grace and truth, stamping out the law of Moses, introducing them to an everlasting love, and giving them the right to be called children of God.
Jesus is Grace and Truth, which He has given to a world pregnant with darkness as a source of Life, Hope and Salvation. All He wants is that we believe in Him and accept Him, and He will do the rest of the hard work, of enabling us to see in this darkness. He is waiting with outstretched arms to introduce you to an undying, unfailing love. Jesus is LOVE.
Wednesday 28 December 2011
Sunday 25 December 2011
Tuesday 9 August 2011
FAITH AND/OR OBEDIENCE (PART 2)
Yesterday's blog post was on Naaman and Abraham and the execution of their faith and obedience to the instructions of the Lord. There were some parallels which were drawn in the lives of these two Bible personalities, which were important in demonstrating to us the extent of God's faithfulness when we have faith and obey Him. This is just a continuation of what was discussed in the previous post and I pray that God speaks to hearts and answers questions through this post.
I intend for this to be a short piece because I want it to be very straight-forward. Hebrews 11:1 defines what faith is. This could be faith in whatever and whomever but I choose this definition of faith in this verse to be a representation of the faith I have in God the Almighty. I hope that He is your choice also. Obedience, according to the Encarta Dictionary is the act of following rules and instructions and submitting to authority. So at least now that we have a perspective of both words, I hope we can delve into the matter at hand.
I wish to point out to you that having faith like that of Abraham without looking back, complaining or grumbling leads to automatic obedience, just like what we see in Genesis, in relation to Abraham and Isaac. Abraham required no persuasion to obey the Lord's instructions because he trusted in the Lord whom he served. On the contrary, one can be obedient but not have faith and this is what we observe in the case of Naaman. I doubt he would even have ended up in the River Jordan if Elisha's servant hadn't persuaded him. In Naaman's case, his obedience resulted in his faith in the Lord, while Abraham's faith in the Lord led to his obedience in the Lord. So what would have happened if Naaman had not obeyed?
Having faith is the most important key in our walk with the Lord and in the unleashing of His blessings upon our lives. This is because our faith, like that of Abraham, is an automatic assurance of our obedience in the Lord, because when we trust in the Lord, we give Him the reins of our lives, knowing in our hearts that He will not disappoint. Naaman could have refused to dip in the Jordan River, in spite of the persuasion he had received and what would have been the outcome? Basically, what God is telling us through the stories of these men is that it is safer for us to have our trust in God and then obey Him, rather than obey Him, which will hopefully lead to our faith in Him when He comes through for us.
You see the risk in obeying without faith is that: what if God does not come through for us at the time we choose to obey Him? Does that mean that we will never believe in the goodness of the Lord? This is serious oh!!! It is not safe at all!!! The safest and wisest approach, I believe, is to cultivate our faith in the abilities of the King of Kings so that the obedience to His instructions will be the by-product of that faith, so that the floodgates of Heaven will pour out blessings upon our lives and save the things we find dear.
Naaman was blessed in actually coming to believe in the goodness of the Lord, but please do not take that risk! Faith is more important. Do you have faith in the Lord?
God bless you!!!
I intend for this to be a short piece because I want it to be very straight-forward. Hebrews 11:1 defines what faith is. This could be faith in whatever and whomever but I choose this definition of faith in this verse to be a representation of the faith I have in God the Almighty. I hope that He is your choice also. Obedience, according to the Encarta Dictionary is the act of following rules and instructions and submitting to authority. So at least now that we have a perspective of both words, I hope we can delve into the matter at hand.
I wish to point out to you that having faith like that of Abraham without looking back, complaining or grumbling leads to automatic obedience, just like what we see in Genesis, in relation to Abraham and Isaac. Abraham required no persuasion to obey the Lord's instructions because he trusted in the Lord whom he served. On the contrary, one can be obedient but not have faith and this is what we observe in the case of Naaman. I doubt he would even have ended up in the River Jordan if Elisha's servant hadn't persuaded him. In Naaman's case, his obedience resulted in his faith in the Lord, while Abraham's faith in the Lord led to his obedience in the Lord. So what would have happened if Naaman had not obeyed?
Having faith is the most important key in our walk with the Lord and in the unleashing of His blessings upon our lives. This is because our faith, like that of Abraham, is an automatic assurance of our obedience in the Lord, because when we trust in the Lord, we give Him the reins of our lives, knowing in our hearts that He will not disappoint. Naaman could have refused to dip in the Jordan River, in spite of the persuasion he had received and what would have been the outcome? Basically, what God is telling us through the stories of these men is that it is safer for us to have our trust in God and then obey Him, rather than obey Him, which will hopefully lead to our faith in Him when He comes through for us.
You see the risk in obeying without faith is that: what if God does not come through for us at the time we choose to obey Him? Does that mean that we will never believe in the goodness of the Lord? This is serious oh!!! It is not safe at all!!! The safest and wisest approach, I believe, is to cultivate our faith in the abilities of the King of Kings so that the obedience to His instructions will be the by-product of that faith, so that the floodgates of Heaven will pour out blessings upon our lives and save the things we find dear.
Naaman was blessed in actually coming to believe in the goodness of the Lord, but please do not take that risk! Faith is more important. Do you have faith in the Lord?
God bless you!!!
Monday 8 August 2011
FAITH AND/OR OBEDIENCE (PART 1)
Hi guys, I know it has been a while since my last post. However, I have been thinking about this particular post for quite some time and I hope that God speaks to some hearts through this post to the glory of His Name. This is intended to talk about the parallels between two very important personalities in the Bible: Naaman and Abraham, and how their walk/encounter with the Most High changed their lives as a result of their faith and/or obedience.
I am sure most of us are familiar with the famous Sunday School stories about Abraham, found in Genesis, and Naaman, found in 2 Kings (please lend a few minutes to take a look at these stories). My main focus, today, is going to be on how these men reacted to the instructions that they were given by God, and what the outcome of their faith and/or obedience was.
So allow me to just give a brief summary of the portion of the lives of these men that I wish to address, as told by the Bible. Abraham was a man whose walk with the Almighty was so entrenched in faith that he willingly obeyed God's instruction to sacrifice his one and only beloved son, whom he had waited for till his 100th year to have; the one who was supposed to be the heir to all his belongings; the one who was to carry on the legacy of Abraham's lineage. Yes, that son was the one chosen to be sacrificed. Not Ishmael the least loved one oh, but the most cherished, adored and appreciated one, Isaac. Our dear "Father of all Nations", does not utter a single word of complaint or frustration at God; neither does he grumble or curse for such a hefty task. He simply obeys and goes on his way to do what he has been commanded.
On the other hand, let's have a look at Naaman. At the beginning of 2 Kings 5, Naaman is given a lot of accolades because of his achievements. However, the "but" that immediately ends his praise is very instrumental in hinting at the pathetic situation that Naaman lived in. He had everything BUT he was a leper, which was terribly disgraceful and abominable at the time. Thank God he was rich! Fortunately for him, Naaman is told about a prophet of the Lord, Elisha, who can cure him of his disease, obviously in the Name and by the Power of God. So he sets off in search of this man. Interestingly enough, Naaman is told to dip into the River Jordan 7 times so that his flesh will be restored. Now tell me, isn't this one of the simplest tasks in the world? Naaman is required to do nothing out of the ordinary to be healed of this disease; mind you a very unfortunate skin ailment that he must have been desperate to get rid of. Ironically, big man Naaman simply cannot do this because he is too big a man to step into the muddy, smelly, dirty river of Jordan to wash himself. After all he has only leprosy! Indeed! So he is own his way home, but returns, until he is persuaded to do what he was told. Lo and behold, Naaman emerges with skin as smooth and lovely as that of a baby.
In these two stories, both men were blessed. But one was required to sacrifice that blessing which was so dear to him, while the other sacrificed his blessings willingly in the hope of receiving a newer, more important blessing. Therefore, through it all, we are able to witness the saving grace of our Faithful Father, who only wants our faith and obedience. We see that Abraham portrayed the true essence of having faith in the only God, which transcended to his obedience in Him, since the God that he trusted was not one to fail him. Contrastingly, Naaman did not have faith in the healing power of our God, neither did he initially obey, till he was persuaded and cleansed, then he finally, admitted his belief that there is no greater God but Jehovah Jireh (2 Kings 5:15b).
I hope you are understanding the drift of events because it is important that we know the importance of the works that our faith in God and our obedience to His instructions can achieve. Abraham had faith that God did not intend to harm him and so obeyed him, no matter how "absurd" the command was. Thankfully, our Faithful Daddy was only testing Abraham's faith, and so Isaac was saved. As a result, God's promise that Abraham will have descendants who will be as numerous as the sand on the seashore was fulfilled, and here we are now! This is all the work of faith and obedience.
Contrarily, Naaman did not have faith in God, neither did he want to obey God. However, events led to events and then he finally decided to dip into the river, maybe not because of his faith that he will be healed, but because he was desperate to try anything. That is why after he was healed he admitted his new faith in the God of Israel. He was saved through God's miraculous Hand, since in the end he was obedient to the words of the Lord.
Sometimes God works in ways such that by obeying Him, our faith in Him will grow from grace to grace. I intend to talk more about Naaman and Abraham in relation to faith and obedience later on, however, it will be for your own good that you study the lives of these two influential personalities in the Bible and allow the Lord to guide you to the reach His conclusions in His own time. As you meditate on the Word, continue to learn from the word and make it a part of your life. Living for Christ always!!! God bless you!!!
I am sure most of us are familiar with the famous Sunday School stories about Abraham, found in Genesis, and Naaman, found in 2 Kings (please lend a few minutes to take a look at these stories). My main focus, today, is going to be on how these men reacted to the instructions that they were given by God, and what the outcome of their faith and/or obedience was.
So allow me to just give a brief summary of the portion of the lives of these men that I wish to address, as told by the Bible. Abraham was a man whose walk with the Almighty was so entrenched in faith that he willingly obeyed God's instruction to sacrifice his one and only beloved son, whom he had waited for till his 100th year to have; the one who was supposed to be the heir to all his belongings; the one who was to carry on the legacy of Abraham's lineage. Yes, that son was the one chosen to be sacrificed. Not Ishmael the least loved one oh, but the most cherished, adored and appreciated one, Isaac. Our dear "Father of all Nations", does not utter a single word of complaint or frustration at God; neither does he grumble or curse for such a hefty task. He simply obeys and goes on his way to do what he has been commanded.
On the other hand, let's have a look at Naaman. At the beginning of 2 Kings 5, Naaman is given a lot of accolades because of his achievements. However, the "but" that immediately ends his praise is very instrumental in hinting at the pathetic situation that Naaman lived in. He had everything BUT he was a leper, which was terribly disgraceful and abominable at the time. Thank God he was rich! Fortunately for him, Naaman is told about a prophet of the Lord, Elisha, who can cure him of his disease, obviously in the Name and by the Power of God. So he sets off in search of this man. Interestingly enough, Naaman is told to dip into the River Jordan 7 times so that his flesh will be restored. Now tell me, isn't this one of the simplest tasks in the world? Naaman is required to do nothing out of the ordinary to be healed of this disease; mind you a very unfortunate skin ailment that he must have been desperate to get rid of. Ironically, big man Naaman simply cannot do this because he is too big a man to step into the muddy, smelly, dirty river of Jordan to wash himself. After all he has only leprosy! Indeed! So he is own his way home, but returns, until he is persuaded to do what he was told. Lo and behold, Naaman emerges with skin as smooth and lovely as that of a baby.
In these two stories, both men were blessed. But one was required to sacrifice that blessing which was so dear to him, while the other sacrificed his blessings willingly in the hope of receiving a newer, more important blessing. Therefore, through it all, we are able to witness the saving grace of our Faithful Father, who only wants our faith and obedience. We see that Abraham portrayed the true essence of having faith in the only God, which transcended to his obedience in Him, since the God that he trusted was not one to fail him. Contrastingly, Naaman did not have faith in the healing power of our God, neither did he initially obey, till he was persuaded and cleansed, then he finally, admitted his belief that there is no greater God but Jehovah Jireh (2 Kings 5:15b).
I hope you are understanding the drift of events because it is important that we know the importance of the works that our faith in God and our obedience to His instructions can achieve. Abraham had faith that God did not intend to harm him and so obeyed him, no matter how "absurd" the command was. Thankfully, our Faithful Daddy was only testing Abraham's faith, and so Isaac was saved. As a result, God's promise that Abraham will have descendants who will be as numerous as the sand on the seashore was fulfilled, and here we are now! This is all the work of faith and obedience.
Contrarily, Naaman did not have faith in God, neither did he want to obey God. However, events led to events and then he finally decided to dip into the river, maybe not because of his faith that he will be healed, but because he was desperate to try anything. That is why after he was healed he admitted his new faith in the God of Israel. He was saved through God's miraculous Hand, since in the end he was obedient to the words of the Lord.
Sometimes God works in ways such that by obeying Him, our faith in Him will grow from grace to grace. I intend to talk more about Naaman and Abraham in relation to faith and obedience later on, however, it will be for your own good that you study the lives of these two influential personalities in the Bible and allow the Lord to guide you to the reach His conclusions in His own time. As you meditate on the Word, continue to learn from the word and make it a part of your life. Living for Christ always!!! God bless you!!!
Saturday 23 July 2011
PETTY OR PLENTY???
I was reading Psalm 33 and I came across the verses, 16-19. And it just got me thinking about the number of things we have that we take for granted.
For example, when your parents travel you just expect them to come back. I mean that is the normal way of things. You wake up in the morning and you yawn, get out of bed and start doing the normal things that constitute your day. "Ah! Another day! Could it get any worse?!" or "Could it get any better?!". You watch TV and see a film about armed robbers attacking some house and people begging for mercy and you are like "Look at these people! They have saa oh! If only they had a gun. If it was me die3..." and you go on and on about what you will have done to the criminals if you were in that position. Yet you have never encountered something like that in your whole life. "I guess I'm just lucky!" But are you really?
The psalmist is telling us in v13-15 that: "From heaven the Lord looks down and sees all mankind; from His dwelling place He watches all who live on earth - He who forms the hearts of all, who considers everything they do." Yes, the Lord observes us every minute of our life and sees what we do. Those times when we need Him the most and we don't even realize, which is always, He steps in. ALWAYS! Because He sees us and knows our every cry/need/want/desire, even before we ask Him for them in prayer (Ps 139:4). So yes, that is why it is easy for us to take the things we have for granted; we have so many things when we don't even ask for them. "If I don't ask but I have, doesn't that make what I have normal?" Does it really?!
I don't think so! The psalmist boldly and correctly points out the fact that "No king is saved by the size of his army; no warrior can escape by his great strength." (v 16). What the psalmist is clearly saying is that the things that look like the norm and are expected by us humans, like finding food to eat, going out and returning home, all those "petty" things that happen in our lives are not by our might, strength or power (N.B. Ironically, the "petty" things are the most important ones. Think about it!). Oh, it's wonderful to have these things, but won't it be wonderful to acknowledge the One who gives them to us and not take them for granted?
v 18-22 tells us of the unfailing, compassionate love of the One who gives these "petty" things to those who trust in Him. We are told that His eyes are on us to deliver us from trouble and death, and keep us alive in times of famine (v 19). So you see, the food that we have and savour everyday, and sometimes "pose" about and turn our noses away from is given to us by God. But do we acknowledge this? When we sleep and wake up or when we go out and come back home, unscathed and unharmed, safe from death, do we acknowledge that? "Abi, these are just normal daily activities. Why bother. I'll get them again tomorrow".
I hope the Lord is speaking to you through this. Telling you that the fact that your heart beats alone and pumps blood to every organ of your body is not because you are a special human being, but it is because of His grace. When you wake up and open your eyes and see the walls of your room, it is because the Lord chose you to live for Him another day. All the Lord is telling you is simply acknowledge Him for everything, even the "normal" things that happen to us everyday, because we are not alive because of our own strength or doing, but because of grace; abundant grace so much so that it does not only keep us alive but sustains us every nanosecond of our lives.
I know it is very easy to forget to say thank you for our beating hearts and blinking eyes and hearing ears every time, but make it a point to write it somewhere so that you will always remember to thank God for them, maybe once a day or once every hour or something... but don't forget to ask God to remind you to always thank Him for the "petty". Or should I say the "plenty"...
God bless you! Live for Christ!!! <3
For example, when your parents travel you just expect them to come back. I mean that is the normal way of things. You wake up in the morning and you yawn, get out of bed and start doing the normal things that constitute your day. "Ah! Another day! Could it get any worse?!" or "Could it get any better?!". You watch TV and see a film about armed robbers attacking some house and people begging for mercy and you are like "Look at these people! They have saa oh! If only they had a gun. If it was me die3..." and you go on and on about what you will have done to the criminals if you were in that position. Yet you have never encountered something like that in your whole life. "I guess I'm just lucky!" But are you really?
The psalmist is telling us in v13-15 that: "From heaven the Lord looks down and sees all mankind; from His dwelling place He watches all who live on earth - He who forms the hearts of all, who considers everything they do." Yes, the Lord observes us every minute of our life and sees what we do. Those times when we need Him the most and we don't even realize, which is always, He steps in. ALWAYS! Because He sees us and knows our every cry/need/want/desire, even before we ask Him for them in prayer (Ps 139:4). So yes, that is why it is easy for us to take the things we have for granted; we have so many things when we don't even ask for them. "If I don't ask but I have, doesn't that make what I have normal?" Does it really?!
I don't think so! The psalmist boldly and correctly points out the fact that "No king is saved by the size of his army; no warrior can escape by his great strength." (v 16). What the psalmist is clearly saying is that the things that look like the norm and are expected by us humans, like finding food to eat, going out and returning home, all those "petty" things that happen in our lives are not by our might, strength or power (N.B. Ironically, the "petty" things are the most important ones. Think about it!). Oh, it's wonderful to have these things, but won't it be wonderful to acknowledge the One who gives them to us and not take them for granted?
v 18-22 tells us of the unfailing, compassionate love of the One who gives these "petty" things to those who trust in Him. We are told that His eyes are on us to deliver us from trouble and death, and keep us alive in times of famine (v 19). So you see, the food that we have and savour everyday, and sometimes "pose" about and turn our noses away from is given to us by God. But do we acknowledge this? When we sleep and wake up or when we go out and come back home, unscathed and unharmed, safe from death, do we acknowledge that? "Abi, these are just normal daily activities. Why bother. I'll get them again tomorrow".
I hope the Lord is speaking to you through this. Telling you that the fact that your heart beats alone and pumps blood to every organ of your body is not because you are a special human being, but it is because of His grace. When you wake up and open your eyes and see the walls of your room, it is because the Lord chose you to live for Him another day. All the Lord is telling you is simply acknowledge Him for everything, even the "normal" things that happen to us everyday, because we are not alive because of our own strength or doing, but because of grace; abundant grace so much so that it does not only keep us alive but sustains us every nanosecond of our lives.
I know it is very easy to forget to say thank you for our beating hearts and blinking eyes and hearing ears every time, but make it a point to write it somewhere so that you will always remember to thank God for them, maybe once a day or once every hour or something... but don't forget to ask God to remind you to always thank Him for the "petty". Or should I say the "plenty"...
God bless you! Live for Christ!!! <3
Tuesday 19 July 2011
IT WAS INTENTIONAL
The story of Moses is one that has been hammered into our heads since our days in Sunday School - his birth and achievements. We all know that Moses was born during the time where Pharaoh had ordered that any male child born to a Hebrew woman be thrown into the Nile (Exodus 2:1-20). However, Moses managed to escape this execution, not because of his own strength or the strength of his mother or sister, but because God had drawn out the plans He had for Moses long before he was conceived, and was only playing them out.
God did not let Moses be born in a time where the massacre of Hebrew male children was normal for nothing. He did not command Moses' mother to make a basket for him and place it on the same river that was the burial grounds for the other children for nothing. He did not make Moses float while the others sank for nothing. He did not cause Moses to enter into the palace of the one who had ordered his execution for nothing. He did this to show us that no matter the situation we may find ourselves in, He only has good plans for us (Jer 29:11), and it is in those situations that He will be glorified. Yes! It was intentional.
Psalm 139 tells us that God knew us way before we were thought of by our parents. He tells us that He has planned out our lives for us before we were conceived. He tells us that He knows our every thoughts and actions even before we do them. Basically, what He is telling us is that everything happening to us now is not coincidental, and that He is only working out that which He ordained and wrote in His Book before we came to be (v 16). Everything about us is planned.
Let's think again about the baby whose birth got shepherds to hear angels sing, whose birth brought about a star in the sky to direct wise men to Him, who was born in a manger, who was conceived by a virgin, who was born to save mankind. All the circumstances of that baby's birth had already been laid out in Isaiah and other books, centuries before His parents were born. The plans were being laid out merely as had been prophesied. Everything that happened was the intention of the Lord.
So yes, we are experiencing God's plans for us, irrespective of its bitter sweetness. Yes, our lives are not too exciting. Yes, it is intentional. You may think your life is insignificant, your life is too hard, you are being punished way beyond what you deserve, but you are not. So rather than dwell on the immediate taste and feel of the path our lives are taking, let's dwell on the aftertaste, which we have been assured is fantastic. Let the Word guide us and let the Holy Spirit lead us to accept what God has outlined for us. Fortunately or FORTUNATELY, it is intentional and so let' make the right choice and give Him the reins to finish off what He started, because He is the Beginning and the End (Rev 22:13).
God bless you!!! Live for Christ!!! <3
God did not let Moses be born in a time where the massacre of Hebrew male children was normal for nothing. He did not command Moses' mother to make a basket for him and place it on the same river that was the burial grounds for the other children for nothing. He did not make Moses float while the others sank for nothing. He did not cause Moses to enter into the palace of the one who had ordered his execution for nothing. He did this to show us that no matter the situation we may find ourselves in, He only has good plans for us (Jer 29:11), and it is in those situations that He will be glorified. Yes! It was intentional.
Psalm 139 tells us that God knew us way before we were thought of by our parents. He tells us that He has planned out our lives for us before we were conceived. He tells us that He knows our every thoughts and actions even before we do them. Basically, what He is telling us is that everything happening to us now is not coincidental, and that He is only working out that which He ordained and wrote in His Book before we came to be (v 16). Everything about us is planned.
Let's think again about the baby whose birth got shepherds to hear angels sing, whose birth brought about a star in the sky to direct wise men to Him, who was born in a manger, who was conceived by a virgin, who was born to save mankind. All the circumstances of that baby's birth had already been laid out in Isaiah and other books, centuries before His parents were born. The plans were being laid out merely as had been prophesied. Everything that happened was the intention of the Lord.
So yes, we are experiencing God's plans for us, irrespective of its bitter sweetness. Yes, our lives are not too exciting. Yes, it is intentional. You may think your life is insignificant, your life is too hard, you are being punished way beyond what you deserve, but you are not. So rather than dwell on the immediate taste and feel of the path our lives are taking, let's dwell on the aftertaste, which we have been assured is fantastic. Let the Word guide us and let the Holy Spirit lead us to accept what God has outlined for us. Fortunately or FORTUNATELY, it is intentional and so let' make the right choice and give Him the reins to finish off what He started, because He is the Beginning and the End (Rev 22:13).
God bless you!!! Live for Christ!!! <3
Friday 15 July 2011
THE COST OF BEING A DISCIPLE
I was watching TBN some days ago and a certain pastor (I can't remember his name) was preaching about the little things that steer us off the path as we follow Christ. In his preaching he referred to Luke 14:26:
"If anyone comes to me and does not hate his father and mother, his wife and children, his brothers and sisters-yes, even his own life-he cannot be my disciple."
He mentioned that this verse was one of, if not the most controversial verse in the Bible because the One who told us that love is the greatest commandment of all the commandments, and that we should love our neighbours as ourselves, and that hating our brother is synonymous to murder and that we should love each other just as He loved us, is the same person telling us that we should hate our brother, family, neighbour, friend, even our life. Wow Jesus, what is it you really want us to do? Hmmm. Let's see...
This verse is only controversial when we look at it in its literal sense. It contradicts everything Jesus said when we try to understand what He was saying literally. The Bible is not called the Book of Truth for nothing. Jesus did not say He was not a liar for nothing. He said all this because it is true. Yes, He does not lie. And if we believe the Book of Truth is the truth, then I guess we have to conform to what the Book says right? Yes! So now, since we cannot look at the verse literally because it makes it seem like Jesus is contradicting Himself, which of course He is not, then we have to look at it in another way. The only other way.
Remember God told us that He IS a jealous God (Exodus 20:5) and so He does not want us to put anything before Him. Okay, I hope that has got you thinking. Now let's see. If the Bible is the Truth and God does not want us to put anyone or anything before Him, I guess that must include our brothers, family, neighbours, job, material possessions, aspiration, even our lives. I hope things are taking shape now.
Okay so hate and love are opposite poles. Agreed. But can we say that hate is a very very very very very very very extremely toned down version of love. I think that is possible. In another sense, hate can mean that you do not love as much. So now let's look at what Jesus said using what we have discovered about hate. I hope you can see the end of the tunnel now. Anywho, Jesus said we should hate the people around us and ourselves if we want to be His disciple. Does this mean that Jesus is telling us to our love for the people around us and ourselves should be very very very very very very very very very very very very extremely toned down? Absolutely. So if our love should be so toned down, then who should the excess love go to? Evidently if we are going to become His disciples and tone down our love for ourselves and the people around us, then the rest of the love should go to the person we intend to follow. Him. I think things are getting clearer now. So basically, Jesus is telling us that if we want to follow Him, then the love that we must have for other things aside Him must be considerably and I mean considerably toned down, to the extent that it is almost considered hate, in comparison. I think everything fits now. In other words, Jesus must be placed first!
Jesus was not telling us this because He is a selfish man and wants all the love in the world for Himself. He told us this because He knows how much the things around us can cause us to be distracted, and how the things we place in precedence to Him can cause us to relegate Him to the background. But the Kingdom of God does not work that way. It requires all the commitment to be able to do the work that it has been established for. So yes, Jesus did have a reason for demanding all of our dedication. This is because He understands the duty that He has set before us, and because He still loves us and wants us to have our free will, He has given us the condition, "If". He has left it to us.
Jesus understands. But do we understand? Are we willing to take up our cross and follow Him (Luke 14:27)? Can we carry the burden? Do we love Him that much to sacrifice all else? It is tough, I know. But with the strength of the Lord we can become Pauls in our own way and live our lives for Christ. It is difficult, I fully understand. I would not say that I have forsaken everything else, but I am willing to try and I hope you are to. Because the God who called us to His eternal glory will [carry us to completion and] will Himself make us strong, steadfast and firm (1Peter 5:10).
God bless you!! Live for Christ!!! <3
"If anyone comes to me and does not hate his father and mother, his wife and children, his brothers and sisters-yes, even his own life-he cannot be my disciple."
He mentioned that this verse was one of, if not the most controversial verse in the Bible because the One who told us that love is the greatest commandment of all the commandments, and that we should love our neighbours as ourselves, and that hating our brother is synonymous to murder and that we should love each other just as He loved us, is the same person telling us that we should hate our brother, family, neighbour, friend, even our life. Wow Jesus, what is it you really want us to do? Hmmm. Let's see...
This verse is only controversial when we look at it in its literal sense. It contradicts everything Jesus said when we try to understand what He was saying literally. The Bible is not called the Book of Truth for nothing. Jesus did not say He was not a liar for nothing. He said all this because it is true. Yes, He does not lie. And if we believe the Book of Truth is the truth, then I guess we have to conform to what the Book says right? Yes! So now, since we cannot look at the verse literally because it makes it seem like Jesus is contradicting Himself, which of course He is not, then we have to look at it in another way. The only other way.
Remember God told us that He IS a jealous God (Exodus 20:5) and so He does not want us to put anything before Him. Okay, I hope that has got you thinking. Now let's see. If the Bible is the Truth and God does not want us to put anyone or anything before Him, I guess that must include our brothers, family, neighbours, job, material possessions, aspiration, even our lives. I hope things are taking shape now.
Okay so hate and love are opposite poles. Agreed. But can we say that hate is a very very very very very very very extremely toned down version of love. I think that is possible. In another sense, hate can mean that you do not love as much. So now let's look at what Jesus said using what we have discovered about hate. I hope you can see the end of the tunnel now. Anywho, Jesus said we should hate the people around us and ourselves if we want to be His disciple. Does this mean that Jesus is telling us to our love for the people around us and ourselves should be very very very very very very very very very very very very extremely toned down? Absolutely. So if our love should be so toned down, then who should the excess love go to? Evidently if we are going to become His disciples and tone down our love for ourselves and the people around us, then the rest of the love should go to the person we intend to follow. Him. I think things are getting clearer now. So basically, Jesus is telling us that if we want to follow Him, then the love that we must have for other things aside Him must be considerably and I mean considerably toned down, to the extent that it is almost considered hate, in comparison. I think everything fits now. In other words, Jesus must be placed first!
Jesus was not telling us this because He is a selfish man and wants all the love in the world for Himself. He told us this because He knows how much the things around us can cause us to be distracted, and how the things we place in precedence to Him can cause us to relegate Him to the background. But the Kingdom of God does not work that way. It requires all the commitment to be able to do the work that it has been established for. So yes, Jesus did have a reason for demanding all of our dedication. This is because He understands the duty that He has set before us, and because He still loves us and wants us to have our free will, He has given us the condition, "If". He has left it to us.
Jesus understands. But do we understand? Are we willing to take up our cross and follow Him (Luke 14:27)? Can we carry the burden? Do we love Him that much to sacrifice all else? It is tough, I know. But with the strength of the Lord we can become Pauls in our own way and live our lives for Christ. It is difficult, I fully understand. I would not say that I have forsaken everything else, but I am willing to try and I hope you are to. Because the God who called us to His eternal glory will [carry us to completion and] will Himself make us strong, steadfast and firm (1Peter 5:10).
God bless you!! Live for Christ!!! <3
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